West Virginia Layoffs — August 2017
Employers in West Virginia posted 2 WARN Act notices in August 2017, affecting an estimated 184 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to July and up 47% versus August 2016. The average filing covered 92 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 1 | 175 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 9 |
The Retail sector saw the heaviest impact with 175 workers across 1 notice. On a related front, Mining & Energy reported 9 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Putnam | 1 | 175 |
| Webster | 1 | 9 |
Putnam absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 95% of all affected workers with 175 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Poca | 1 | 175 |
| Cowen | 1 | 9 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 2 | 184 |
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rite Aid | Poca | 175 | Layoff | |
| Arch Coal Eastern Complex | Cowen | 9 | Layoff |
The largest notice was filed by Rite Aid at its Poca facility, reporting 175 affected workers. Arch Coal Eastern Complex followed with 9 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the West Virginia labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by West Virginia. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all West Virginia WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.